Ontario Construction News staff writer
Ontario will spend $200 million through the 2021 Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund (OCIF) to help 424 small, rural and northern communities build and repair roads, bridges, water and wastewater infrastructure.
Premier Doug Ford announced funding in a speech to at the Rural Ontario Municipal Association 2021 conference.
“Today, I am thrilled to announce right here at ROMA that we are investing $200 million again this year in the Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund, or OCIF,” Ford said. “We recognize that municipalities need flexibility to support their own priority infrastructure needs.
“This funding will help 424 small, rural and Northern communities across Ontario with critical projects like building and repairing local roads and bridges, as well as water and wastewater infrastructure.”
OCIF helps eligible communities invest in local infrastructure and asset management planning to address their priority needs. The province uses a formula to distribute funding, recognizing that municipalities have different infrastructure needs. These investments will help eligible communities attract jobs and investment, as well as build local capacity to grow and thrive.
“COVID-19 has created challenges for everyone, including our municipal partners,” said Laurie Scott, minister of infrastructure.
“By making this stable, predictable investment, our government is not only improving critical infrastructure, we are strengthening local economies, creating jobs and laying the foundation for our long-term recovery.”
This annual municipal investment provided through OCIF for local infrastructure in communities across Ontario will contribute to the province’s economic recovery and growth in the coming year.
The Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund provides funding for communities with populations under 100,000, along with all rural and northern communities for local infrastructure projects.
In 2020, approximately $200 million in funding was allocated to small, rural and northern communities. Municipalities may accumulate their funding for up to five years to address larger infrastructure projects.
According to the Ontario 2020 Budget, planned capital investments over the next 10 years total $142.9 billion.